Fuel burning system



J. DUNN FUEL BURNING SYSTEM 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 25, 1962 INVENTOR ATTORNEY Nov. 23., 1965 r .1. DUNN I 3,219,093

F-UEL BURNING SYSTEM Filed Sept. 25. 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 0/ l fi I I/ I l 1/ I l l l I n z l o i I I g I '13:?

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JOHN 2W9 ATTORNEY United States Patent of New York Filed Sept. 25, 1962, Ser. No. 225,981

4 Claims. (Cl. 158-15) This invention relates to an air supply system for fuel burners and has for an object to provide a uniform and efficient supply of air to the doors of an air register of the type used in industrial fuel burners.

Another object is to provide a uniform flow of air to the air doors around the entire periphery of such an air register.

Another object is to provide a control system of the above type which is readily applicable to a fuel burner of standard construction.

Various other objects and advantages will be apparent as the nature of the invention is more fully disclosed.

The nature of the invention will be better understood from the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which a specific embodiment has been set forth for purposes of illustration.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a transverse section through a burner assembly embodying the invention, taken on the line 1-1 of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal section taken on the line 22, FIG. 1.

Referring to the drawings more in detail the invention is shown as applied to a burner firing through a burner opening in a furnace wall 11. An air register 12 of the usual type having a peripheral set of air doors 13 is secured at the front by a front plate 14a to a front wall 14 and has a back plate 15. A plenum chamber back plate 9 is disposed adjacent the furnace wall 11 and may be secured thereto. A spacer tube 16 is connected to supply air from the air register to the burner opening 10. Agas ring 17 may be interposed between the spacer tube 16 and the back plate 9 for supplying gaseous fuel to the burner throat when desired. A fuel barrel 18 for supplying liquid or other fuel is disposed axially of the air register 12 and spacer tube 16 and is provided with an atomizing tip 19 for discharging a cone of atomized fuel through the burner opening 10.

The parts thus far described are of standard construction and only so much thereof is set forth herein as is necessary to an understanding of the present invention.

The wall 14 forms with the back plate 9 a wind box or plenum chamber 20 for supplying air from combustion to the air register 12. This wall 14 and back plate 9 are attached to a frame 21 which is adapted to support the pipes, control mechanism, and other auxiliary equipment so as to make a self-contained unit. The sides of the wind box are closed by side walls 22, a curved bottom wall 23, and a flat top wall 24. A blower 25 is mounted on the top wall 24 and communicates through a top opening 26 in the top wall 24 with the wind box 20. In some instances, the blower may be remotely located and connected by a suitable duct to the top of the wind box 20.

A division wall 30 is mounted adjacent to the air register back plate 15 to divide the wind box into a front chamber 31 in which the air register is disposed and a rear chamber 32 between the division wall 30 and the back plate 9. The division wall 30 has side edges 33 spaced from the side walls 22 of the wind box to form air passages 34 through which air is supplied from the rear chamber 32 to the front chamber 31 toward the air doors at the sides of the air register 12. A hinged damper 36 is mounted at the top of the division wall 30 with its top edge registering with the opening 26 for dividing the flow of air between the chambers 31 and 32. This damper may be adjusted by a rod 37 which is connected to the damper by a link 38 and extends forwardly through the front wall 14.

At its lower edge the division Wall 30 carries a hinged plate 40 having a lower edge 41 registering with the bottom wall 23 of the Wind box and adjustable to control the direction and quantity of air flowing under the division wall 30 from the rear chamber 32 to the front chamber 31. This hinged plate 40 may be adjusted by a rod 42 connected to the plate 40 by a link 43 and extending forwardly through the front wall 14.

In operation a portion of the air from the blower passes directly into the front chamber 31 in front of the damper 36 toward the air doors at the top of the air register. Another portion of the air passes behind the hinged damper 36 into the chamber 32. Some of the air in this chamber flows through the side passages 34 into the front chamber 31 toward the air doors at the sides of the air register 12. The rest of this air flows under the bottom of hinged plate 40 into the front chamber 31 and upwardly toward the air doors on the under side of the air register 12. By controlling the relative quantities of air passing to the various sides of the air register a uniform flow through the .air doors around the entire periphery of the air register a proper flame shape can be maintained. Of course the adjustable damper 36 and hinged plate 40 can be omitted or made stationary if adjustability is not required.

It has been found that the above construction provides for the efficient utilization of the air register capacity and provides a means for regulating the flame shape so as to obtain the desired pattern. This is particularly useful in cases where a bank of such burners is firing into the same furnace and the flame shape of each burner is influenced by the presence of the adjacent burners and may require individual adjustment for eflicient operation.

While the system has been shown as applied to a furnace for a single burner, it is to be understood that the wind box 20 may be extended to encompass a bank of burners and a corresponding bank of air registers and that in such cases there may be a single damper or multiple dampers, one for each burner, or if desired individual wind boxes may be provided for each burner and its register.

The split wind box and the form of baflle herein described result in a reduction in the velocity of the air supplied to the air register doors and provide for a uniform distribution of air to such doors. The curved lower wall 23 provides for a smooth flow of air.

The close coupling of the fan and wind box together with the uniform air distribution result in minimum excess air requirements, maximum efficiency of operation and a uniformly distributed rather than an uneven and ragged flame shape.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination with a fuel burner including an air register having an axis and having front and back plates and peripheral air doors and a spacer tube extending axially from said air register back plate to communicate with a burner opening in a furnace wall, means including walls extending parallel to the axis of said air register, forming a closed plenum chamber enclosing said air register and said spacer tube, one of said parallel extending walls having an air supply opening in axial alignment with a plane lying between the air register and said spacer tube, and extending transverse to said axis, means supplying air to said air supply opening, division wall means lying in said plane dividing said plenum chamber into a front chamber containing said air register and :a rear chamber around said spacer tube, said division wall means directing air from said opening to both of said chambers and having edges spaced from said first mentioned walls to provide air passages around the sides and bottom of said division wall for supplying air from said rear chamber to said front chamber toward the sides and bottom of said air register whereby a uniform flow of air through the air doors around the entire periphery of said register is obtained.

2. In the combination set forth in claim 1, an adjustable damper means disposed above said division wall means and in alignment with said air supply opening, said damper means being adapted to control the division of air from said opening to the respective chambers.

3. In the combination set forth in claim 1, an adjustable plate means disposed at the bottom of said division wall means and having a bottom edge conforming to a wall of said plenum chamber, said last plate means being adjustable for varying the flow of air under said division wall means from said rear chamber to said front chamber.

4. In the combination set forth in claim 1, an adjustable damper means disposed above said division wall means and in alignment with said air supply opening, said damper means being adapted to control the division of air from said opening to the respective chambers, and an adjustable plate means disposed at the bottom of said division wall means and having a bottom edge conforming to a wall of said plenum chamber, said last plate means being adjustable for varying the flow of air under said division wall means from said rear chamber to said front chamber.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,210,476 8/1940 Vroom 1581.5 2,443,575 6/1948 Carter 15811 X 2,512,196 6/1950 Caracristi 1581.5 X 2,818,109 12/1957 Voorheis 158-11 X 3,042,105 7/1962 Bitterlich 1581.5

FOREIGN PATENTS 540,550 10/ 1941 Great Britain.

20 JAMES W. WESTHAVER, Primary Examiner.

FREDERICK L. MATTESON, IR., MEYER PERLIN,

Examiners. 

1. IN COMBINATION WITH A FUEL BURNER INCLUDING AN AIR REGISTER HAVING AN AXIS AND HAVING FRONT AND BACK PLATES AND PERIPHERAL AIR DOORS AND A SPACER TUBE EXTENDING AXIALLY FROM SAID AIR REGISTER BACK PLATE TO COMMUNICATE WITH A BURNER OPENING IN A FURNACE WALL, MEANS INCLUDING WALLS EXTENDING PARALLEL TO THE AXIS OF SAID AIR REGISTER, FORMING A CLOSED PLENUM CHAMBER ENCLOSING SAID AIR REGISTER AND SAID SPACER TUBE, ONE OF SAID PARALLEL EXTENDING WALLS HAVING AN AIR SUPPLY OPENING IN AXIAL ALIGNMENT WITH A PLANE LYING BETWEEN THE AIR REGISTER AND SAID SPACER TUBE, AND EXTENDING TRANSVERSE TO SAID AXIS, MEANS SUPPLYING AIR TO SAID AIR SUPPLY OPENING, DIVISION WALL MEANS LYING IN SAID PLANE DIVIDING SAID PLENUM CHAMBER INTO A FRONT CHAMBER CONTAINING SAID AIR REGISTER AND A REAR CHAMBER AROUND SAID SPACER TUBE, SAID DIVISION WALL MEANS DIRECTING AIR FROM SAID OPENING TO BOTH OF SAID CHAMBERS AND HAVING EDGES SPACED FROM SAID FIRST MENTIONED WALLS TO PROVIDE AIR PASSAGES AROUND THE SIDES AND BOTTOM OF SAID DIVISION WALL FOR SUPPLYING AIR FROM SAID REAR CHAMBER TO SAID FRONT CHAMBER TOWARD THE SIDES AND BOTTOM OF SAID AIR REGISTER WHEREBY A UNIFORM FLOW OF AIR THROIUGH THE AIR DOORS AROUND THE ENTIRE PERIPHERY OF SAID REGISTER IS OBTAINED. 